10 Public Relations Trends That Will Change The Industry Forever

By Paul 12/07/08 15:14 PM

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In January, we published a blog post on the 8 Public Relations Trends to Watch in 2008.  That post became the most popular page on our Website, was cited on the Wikipedia Public Relations page, created tremendous speaking opportunities and generated thousands of visitors.

That is the power of blogging and the social Web (aka Web 2.0). Every business, and every professional, has the ability to influence audiences and affect change like never before with self-published content.

So while the original post is still relevant, a lot has happened since January. In particular, we recently wrote about the Dawn of the Inbound Marketing Agency, a new breed of PR firm that I believe will supersede traditional PR firms, and possibly challenge the dominance of advertising agencies, as marketing budgets continue to shift toward Internet marketing.

In essence, the social Web, and all the tools and services it continues to spawn, has forever changed the game. There are PR firms that will adapt to meet the growing mass-market demand for Internet-based expertise and service, and there are many that will not.

So here’s an updated look at 10 PR trends driving the revolution: 

1) Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing refers to permission-based marketing strategies in which consumers choose to learn more about you by conducting a keyword search online, subscribing to your RSS feed, downloading your white paper, opting into your email newsletter, watching your videos, listening to your podcasts, visiting your social network or commenting on your blog.

Check out our guest post on the Hubspot blog to learn about the 4 Ps of Inbound Marketing.

2) Content Marketing

Inbound marketing is powered by content. In order to grow smarter and faster than the competition, organizations must continually publish multi-media content online through blogs, podcasts, videos, optimized press releases, case studies, white papers, eBooks and by-lined articles.

3) Social Web (aka Web 2.0) & The Decline of Mainstream Media

The social Web of consumer-generated content and mass collaboration (i.e. blogging, micro-blogging, forums, social networks, photo and video sharing, social bookmarking) is no longer a trend. Rather, it is an integral and powerful part of our lives.

However, as mainstream media’s (MSM) ability to reach and influence publics declines, demand for social Web strategy, consultation and services will explode.

4) Search

Through content marketing and the social Web, organizations have the ability to reach and influence consumers directly at the exact moment they are searching for products, services and knowledge.

In essence, they are granting you permission to market to them, but you have to be there. This is accomplished through content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO), which will become a core competency of inbound marketing agencies.

5) Measurement

Advertising equivalency and media impressions have long been the PR industry’s means of measuring success. And while these numbers tend to satisfy the C-Suite, what really matters are search engine rankings, inbound links, Website traffic, leads and sales. These highly trackable metrics are how firms should, and will, be judged.

6) Web Software Solutions 

New online software (mostly developed by companies outside the PR industry) has made it possible for firms to dramatically expand their services (e.g. monitoring, measurement, SEO, content distribution, Website development, pay-per-click advertising), and in turn provide more measurable value to clients.

7) Next Generation Leaders

The next generation of PR industry leaders and influencers, who are already emerging, will come from Generation X (ages 28-43) and Generation Y (ages 18-27). They will be extremely tech-savvy, fully immersed in the social Web, highly tolerant to risk and motivated to separate themselves from traditional wisdom and conventional solutions.
 

8) Value-Based Pricing

Traditional retainers and high hourly rates are too restrictive for the mass market, and once organizations (small and large) realize there is an alternative, demand will skyrocket for firms that deliver value-based pricing.

9) Mobile

I don’t pretend to comprehend the full impact of mobile marketing on our industry and business at large, but the geniuses at Google do, and they recently wrote about it on their blog post: The future of mobile 

And, just as I'm getting ready to publish this post, I see this article from PRWeek: Omnicom opens mobile-focused firm in New York.

10) Website Development

Website development must be driven by buyer personas, visitor behavior, content marketing strategies and SEO.

Inbound marketing agencies will become the preferred providers for Web development services, with the technical design and programming still delivered by the experts (possibly outsourced, or brought in-house).

So what do you think is next?

Agree? Disagree? What do you think will change the PR industry, and how will agencies adapt? Share your thoughts and ideas here, or publish your own posts on the topic and drop us a link.

 

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11 Comment(s)

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1. Posted by Jamie Turner on Nov 13, 2008
   Great post, Paul. These are great insights. I'm looking forward to reading your other posts, too, including 8 public relations trends to watch in 2008.
2. Posted by Stuart Foster on Nov 13, 2008
   As a marketing/pr geek, this list was great fun to read. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing these changes being implemented on a larger scale and becoming more recognized business practices (Read recognized as "valuable" to C-Level execs). Awesome insight Paul...you just picked up an RSS subscriber :)
3. Posted by Jeremy Nelson on Nov 13, 2008
   Interesting post. After reviewing last years post, I have to say that there are many crossovers. I agree that the content aspect is probably one of the more important elements of this, because it's through content that companies achieve lower bounce rates and retain potential customers. However, out of all of these, I think the newest emerging area may be mobile marketing.
4. Posted by peter caputa on Nov 13, 2008
   Paul. I might extend your value based pricing to "Selling Value and Delivering ROI". The difference between most creative services firms and yours is that you help people determine their return and then measure your success based on that.
5. Posted by Tom Gable on Nov 13, 2008
   These are interesting trends, although most relate to tactics and tools. I'd suggest that a growing trend will be the influence of PR in the executive suite of companies. This will include helping CEOs understand the importance of differentiation by reputation, core values and deeds. What do you stand for? Can you walk the talk over time? Or are you just another empty suit pumping out industry jargon and platitudes? More and more companies are incorporating image as a part of corporate strategy and building it into the fabric of their culture -- good news for PR.
6. Posted by Arif Gangji - Inbound Marketing on Nov 13, 2008
   Great post... We actually did a comparison that helped start-ups understand why Inbound Marketing greatly outweighs traditional marketing efforts such as direct mail. (It's on our blog - http://www.neonrain.com/blog/) In addition though, I think the new form of PR is essentially value driven...showing value and allowing clients to be attracted to that value. The value I'm speaking of flows through all 10 items listed above. Good information that is helpful and well communicated. Clients will be drawn to the value - the tools above are mediums for communicating that value effectively. Arif Gangji
7. Posted by Paul Roetzer on Nov 14, 2008
   Thanks for the comments. We've found with our client base that the C-suite is extremely receptive to shifting budget when presented with the facts about the social Web (i.e. size, influence, opportunity). The beauty of inbound marketing/digital PR is how measurable it is (and as Arif and Peter point out, the value and ROI). You have 24/7 reporting capability on metrics that truly matter - Website traffic, inbound links, leads and sales. Plus, you can use those metrics daily to evolve your campaigns. Thanks again.
8. Posted by Daniel Durazo on Nov 14, 2008
   Great post. We are already seeing tremendous opportunities using mobile across the marketing spectrum and particularly in PR. Best, Daniel Durazo "The Cheapskate's Guide to PR" www.danieldurazo.com
9. Posted by simon kelly on Nov 18, 2008
   Great post - I agree with most of it. I think the wider point is that the old labels don't apply any more in this post-advertising world. Your 2nd point re content marketing is key. WE are all content marketers, no matter where we came from...PR, Advertising, custom media, branded content, events etc etc. In fact you could have titled your post 9 ways content marketing is the new PR...
10. Posted by Amanda Danielle on Nov 24, 2008
    Thank you for this post. I'm a student learning public relations with a focus in writing. This list is helpful and informative as I seek to further my knowledge of public relations. Clearly, writing in public relations is not just about pitch letter and press releases. It needs to be tailored to publics in an even more personal way and needs to reach publics in totally new ways as you have pointed out in this post. I'll be watching for these trends as I begin my career and use the information as I predict new trends.
11. Posted by Daniel Durazo on Jan 18, 2009
    Great post and wonderful food for thought on game changers for our business. I thought you might be interested in this post on about Trends in PR for 2009: http://danieldurazo.com/2009/01/14/public-relations-trends-for-2009/ Best, Daniel Durazo

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